Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog

November 13, 2011

Women Have Better Chance of Fending Off Peritoneal Mesothelioma in Boston

A recent article by Surviving Mesothelioma suggests that women may have a better chance of coping with the cancer than their male counterparts.

Peritoneal mesothelioma affects the lining of the abdomen and can affect major organs, such as the colon, stomach, pancreas, liver and intestines. The cancer can cause the body to secrete additional fluid, which can build up.

Mesothelioma in Boston is rare, but it is fatal. Those who are diagnosed typically have about twelve months to live. It is an extremely frustrating illness because it can start up to 30 or 40 years earlier without the person knowing.

Typical causes of mesothelioma are some type of exposure to asbestos. Many military veterans are now being diagnosed because the armed forces used asbestos in Navy ships, shipyards and in old buildings, carriers and other uses. Asbestos was used in the construction of buildings, in brake pads, floor and ceiling tiles, to cover pipes and protect them from fire. Asbestos was in circulation in the United States from the early 20th Century until the 1990s. There were truckloads of asbestos used in our country during those decades.

So, there were many opportunities for people to end up being exposed to asbestos. A simple exposure could lead to a lifetime of problems. In most cases, a person isn’t diagnosed for years or decades after exposure. This means that a person can live with the cancer without knowing. And once they begin feeling the symptoms — coughing, fluid build-up, chest pain and others — it may be too late. Most people associate these symptoms with old age and wait too long to do anything.

According to the Surviving Mesothelioma article, Australian researchers have found that in 294 peritoneal mesothelioma cases treated during the last 20 years, women who were treated had a better survival rate than men.

Of course, the research was done over 20 years and much has changed in terms of medicine and treatment of cancer in that time. According to the article, peritoneal mesothelioma spreads quickly and its only known cause is asbestos.

Mesothelioma is usually treated with chemotherapy and cytoredeuctive surgery. The chemotherapy is designed to “wash” the cavity of the abdomen to wipe out the cancer. Older women didn’t do as well as younger women, but both did better than men.

A smaller-scale 2006 study found that women had a five-year survival rate of 63 percent, compared to 42 percent for men. The tumor cells in women had smaller nuclei than those found in men.

The Australian researchers believe that estrogen could have an effect on the treatment of this form of cancer. This hormone could be a way of treating, or at least fending off, the cancer in the future as more research is done.

It is critical that institutions take an interest in mesothelioma and continue to find funding for research on the topic. Much still isn’t known about this form of cancer and it kills 100 percent of the time. Other cancers that were once deadly are now treatable and our Boston mesothelioma lawyers hope we can one day say the same about mesothelioma.
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November 11, 2011

Parents Want Massachusetts School With Asbestos Rebuilt

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Eagle-Tribune is reporting that parents are putting the pressure on school officials in Haverhill to build a new middle school after it was revealed that there are issues with asbestos at the school.

Asbestos exposure in Massachusetts, even for a short period of time, can lead to lifelong consequences. Boston mesothelioma lawyers have come across many clients who were exposed to asbestos for a short period — maybe weeks, months or a year — and that was enough exposure to lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis later in life.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is incurable. Research has shown that only a short period of exposure to asbestos — a commonly used mineral from the early 20th Century until the 1990s — can lead to a diagnosis 30 and 40 years later. That’s the scary thing about this illness; that a person can have no symptoms for decades and then it hits hard. After being diagnosed, the average lifespan is 12 months.

There have been other examples of schools throughout Massachusetts where officials have recently discovered asbestos on site. This shouldn’t come as a shock and considering many schools throughout New England were built decades ago, it should be obvious that asbestos was used. The mineral was chiefly used in insulation of buildings as well as in boiler rooms, piping and other commonly used construction materials.

That officials are still dealing with the fact that schools have asbestos means that scores of children have likely been exposed to asbestos and could be at risk.

In this northern Massachusetts town, one parent told the Eagle-Tribune that her eighth grade daughter tried to close a window recently because it was cold and her teacher told her to leave it open because of asbestos. The parent is a licensed asbestos remover who is now an auto mechanic because of the dangers of the job.

School officials told the parent that it doesn’t have a “dangerous” asbestos level, but has ventilation problems. Officials said recently that students were moved to a different school because the middle school’s structural problems risked that the floors would cave in.

Parents at a meeting recently urged school officials to build a new school and stop wasting time. Officials are working with engineers to see if they can fix the school structurally. The most recent story didn’t address the asbestos issues.

Let’s hope that Haverhill school officials do the right thing and find a grant, state money, federal money or fundraising to put together a new school that is structurally sound, but also built without asbestos. Simply restructuring the school to save money isn’t going to get rid of the asbestos issue. While there are removal services, that doesn’t guarantee all asbestos will be removed. It can linger and who knows the extent of the asbestos in that building. In order to ensure our children have a future, officials must eliminate asbestos from their lives.
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November 8, 2011

Maine Landfill, Demolition Site Discussed for Possible Asbestos Exposure in New England

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

The Maine Campus, student newspaper of the University of Maine, is reporting that a heated public debate erupted recently over a proposal to triple the amount of waste a landfill there would be authorized to accept.

Residents were understandably upset that officials were considering accepting up to 32 million cubic yards of waste, up from the 10 million cubic yards it currently holds. Orono residents argued that they don’t want the waste in their backyard.

These concerns are no different than when cases of asbestos in Boston and other areas of the state arise. Take for instance the story of one the people to speak out at the landfill-expansion meeting. A woman related how her daughter recently moved to Massachusetts to attend college. She also bought a home whose basement was covered in asbestos, costing her some $16,000 clean up. The news article said daughter asked the driver where he would be taking the asbestos.

“You don’t have to worry about this,” the driver told her. “It’s going to Maine.”

Every state has guidelines for safe removal of asbestos and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is no different. It has a 72-page guide for asbestos cleanup and removal.

There are several facts in this story that have caused some Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers to stand up and take notice. Primarily, it is striking that asbestos could be dumped at landfill sites that are close to homes. While it must be removed from buildings, it may be just as dangerous to be sent to a dump where it gets pounded and mashed, allowing asbestos toxins to get into the air and atmosphere.

Secondly, home-buyers must do their due diligence when purchasing a home in New England. Most homes are older and many have asbestos in their basements, in insulation, in piping and in other parts of their house, which can pose health risks. Inspectors, appraisers and homeowners must do their research before possibly putting themselves at risk if the house contains asbestos.

About 100 miles away from Orono in Wilton, the department of environmental protection is planning to fine private companies that broke asbestos removal laws at a demolition site that was contaminated with the mineral, the Morning Sentinel reports.

According to the newspaper report, asbestos cleanup started at a demolition site in August and asbestos-laden material was removed from the century-old buildings. Because of sloppy state rules about asbestos cleanup and removal, many workers may have been exposed to high levels of the hazardous material.

Construction workers were removing the asbestos without the proper gear or equipment. While the state’s DEP looks at possible fines, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating for possible criminal charges.

If companies violate rules, they not only open themselves up to fines and possible criminal charges, but they put their workers at risk. That’s not right and it’s not fair Continue reading

November 4, 2011

Medford Faces More Problems With Asbestos Exposure

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Medford officials may want to start taking asbestos exposure more seriously.

As The Medford Transcript recently reported, the Medford Police Department has ignored for years the health risks associated with exposed asbestos, which was found in its building years ago. Boston mesothelioma lawyers have noticed the department’s safety issues and how city officials are finally looking to take action to correct the situation. But the police department is not alone when it comes to concerns about asbestos.

As Boston mesothelioma lawyers reported in October, the Medford School Department was fined $30,000 for improperly disposing asbestos at Curtis Tufts Alternative High School.

According to The Boston Globe, officials in 2009 were supposed to properly remove asbestos-laden tiles based on guidelines and standards determined by the state. But instead, they took the tiles and dumped them in a trash container behind the school. The container was then moved to Columbus Elementary School before being brought back to the high school and decontaminated.

Now, the police department has come under fire because state officials mandated that problems such as exposed asbestos in the building’s boiler room be addressed five years ago, but nothing has been done.

City council members recently toured the building, which is fraught with other problems as well. Among the concerns are that jail cells are unusable, the firing range has been condemned, equipment and evidence rooms are cramped, and there are no gyms or showers for female officers in the building, which was built in 1962.

A photo from the newspaper shows council members walking in the boiler room, unmasked, to inspect it. Knowing that the pipes are coated with asbestos, people shouldn’t be walking around it without protection.

Aside from it being old and not up-to-date, it also poses other health concerns. According to council members, there is widespread mold because of water leaks, especially on the roof.

There are examples of people who worked in the trenches of asbestos dust or in factories or mines where they breathed it in all day who get mesothelioma later in life. But there are also many cases of people who were exposed over a short period of time. And they find out decades later that they, too, have formed mesothelioma.

Researchers don’t know enough about mesothelioma to figure out how much exposure is needed to cause it. The disease varies based on the victim, duration of exposure and conditions. But it is clear that even a small amount of exposure can kill.

Medford officials must take this seriously and take action on the asbestos situation in the police department and other buildings in the city that likely were built with asbestos. Its schools have put children at risk and now its police officers have been at risk for decades. Let’s hope officials do the right thing, and do it now.
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November 1, 2011

Railroad Sued By Employee Exposed to Asbestos, Fears Mesothelioma

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A former railroad employee has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Central Railroad after being exposed to asbestos when he worked there between 1953 and 1991, The Madison Record reports.

Railroads are among the industries that regularly used asbestos for years in its trains, on its tracks and in many forms. What most people likely don’t realize is the widespread use of asbestos for decades in the United States.

Not only was it commonly used as insulation in older buildings because of its fire-resistant qualities, but it was used to make brake pads and other car parts, floor and ceiling tiles, coating for piping, and in boiler rooms in schools and other buildings nationwide. It was also commonly used in roadwork and other forms of construction, such as cementing.

Yet it has taken years and, in many cases, decades for this asbestos exposure to manifest itself in the form of mesothelioma in New England and other parts of the U.S. If you are diagnosed with this rare and incurable disease, you should contact a Boston mesothelioma lawyer to ensure your rights are upheld.

In this case, the man spent nearly 40 years working for the Illinois Central Railroad Company. According to a lawsuit recently filed in southern Illinois, the man was exposed to asbestos dust and fibers in his time working for the company. He has developed a non-malignant disease that isn’t specified in the lawsuit, but it states he fears the illness will worsen into a form of mesothelioma, The Record reports.

Along with the disease, he has also developed mental anxiety and fear that the illness will kill him. The man has incurred medical costs, lost earnings, loss of earning capacity and has a shortened life expectancy, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit goes on to say the railroad company failed to provide a safe work environment, didn’t give him the right tools and equipment, didn’t warn him of the effects of asbestos, and didn’t equip him to handle asbestos products with care to avoid injury. The lawsuit also alleges products weren’t tested before employees were exposed to asbestos.

Sadly, this man’s case is similar to those throughout New England and nationwide. People dedicated years of service to careers in industries where they never expected to be exposed to deadly toxins that would later kill them.

In labor-intensive industries, there is an expectation that a person’s safety could be put at risk through falls, use of heavy machinery or defective equipment, for instance. But most people don’t consider that businesses will be using potentially deadly materials that could lead to harmful illnesses or even death.

Many companies knew of the risks that asbestos could bring not only to their employees but to the surrounding community. Yet, they did not eliminate these risks. And now, decades later, the dedicated workers are dealing with mesothelioma in New England.
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October 28, 2011

Pleural, Peritoneal Mesothelioma Linked to Asbestos in Massachusetts

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Both pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma in Boston and worldwide has been linked to asbestos, research shows.

Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, making up two-thirds of cases, according to the Mesothelioma Center. Pleura are the membranes that surround the lungs and chest.

While this form of cancer surrounds the lungs, it is not lung cancer. It is caused by exposure to asbestos and the microscopic flakes easily attach to the pleura, forming this deadly cancer.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is less common, but equally deadly. The peritoneum is the lining of the abdomen. Asbestos, once ingested, can coat the lining of the abdomen and not only cause excessive fluid build-up, but cause tumors that can inhibit major organs.

Boston mesothelioma lawyers are well aware of the effects of both of these forms of cancer. Many clients have met with us after having been exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma. Their family members endure the pain of knowing their time is limited. And it’s typically the companies where these people worked so hard for decades that ignored the risks of asbestos that led to the exposure.

Recent studies out of Italy have linked both forms of mesothelioma to asbestos exposure. Italy has one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world, according to Surviving Mesothelioma’s website.

Italian researchers used data from 1995 to 2002 to discover that mesothelioma was most common in the industries typically associated with asbestos, such as cement, shipyards, oil refineries and petrochemical industries.

Another study looked at asbestos exposure specifically in connection with peritoneal mesothelioma. All peritoneal mesothelioma cases from 2000 and 2007 were examined and there were 110 cases. In 2000 and 2001, there were 515 pleural mesothelioma cases.

The research found that both victims of pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma had similar levels of exposure to asbestos in the cases studied. Researchers found that 60 percent of victims were exposed in their jobs, while about 7 percent were exposed in their environment or through their family. In pleural mesothelioma victims, twice as many were exposed both at home and on the job.

The study shows that some of risk factors for asbestos exposure can be controlled. For instance, if you live in an old building that may be putting you at risk for asbestos exposure in Boston, you can either move or get your landlord to fix the problem. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has standards about asbestos that must be followed.

Sadly, if you worked for years in an industry that used asbestos regularly, either in construction or roadwork, working with cement, on oil rigs or working with boiler rooms, car parts such as brake pads or piping, there is little you can do now to avoid asbestos exposure from decades ago. However, the smart move would be to get checked for possible mesothelioma.

While there are no known cures, researchers are putting time and effort into studying this form of cancer and there are new, radical treatment options that may be helpful. As with any form of cancer, catching it early is always the best move. See a doctor who specializes in asbestos-related illnesses and get checked out today.
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October 21, 2011

Asbestos Exposure at School Leads to Mesothelioma Diagnosis

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent case out of Australia highlights the prevalence of asbestos worldwide in years past. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a 42-year-old man was recently awarded $2 million after developing mesothelioma by playing in asbestos dust at an orphanage there.

In the early 1970s, when researchers were studying asbestos after concerns about its effects on people’s health, this man would play in what he probably thought was dirt at a miniature railway at the orphanage. But officials found that it was pounds of asbestos that had been dumped there as other children worked on building the railway while a company would dump truckloads of the asbestos at the site.

The article went on to say that boys would take clumps of the asbestos and toss them into fires to watch them explode. Asbestos “pops” when heated and that’s what factories would do to process it and turn it into insulation and for use on brake pads, piping and other commonly used products. The company was warned that it wasn’t “wise” to dump the asbestos at the school, but it didn’t listen.

It is a terrifying prospect to think that children could have been rolling around in asbestos, causing significant damage. Asbestos exposure in Massachusetts may not be quite as obvious these days, but it can still happen. Massachusetts mesothelioma lawyers have spoken with many clients who lived in older homes or apartments and developed mesothelioma just the same as those who worked or played in it.

That’s the scary thing about asbestos — it only takes a little exposure for it to make a big impact on a person’s life. Even a one-time exposure can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Asbestos can be ingested through the air when the mineral is broken and gets airborne. In most cases, the asbestos can take years to develop and the person has no symptoms to suggest they have been exposed.

But after years — and many cases suggest as long as 30 to 40 years — the person begins feeling some of the symptoms of mesothelioma, such as heavy coughing, chest pain and fluid build-up. While some would attribute these symptoms to old age or years of smoking, it could really be the asbestos forming tumors and causing problems.

In the case in Australia, the man had been exposed in the early 1970s, when he was probably only 3 or 4 years old. It took several decades before he learned what was causing his health problems.

It may take several doctor visits over a period of months before the right doctor diagnoses mesothelioma. And once that happens, research has shown, the individual typically lives only for about 12 months. Mesothelioma is strange because it’s both a slow-moving illness and also quick to kill. There is no cure and it is fatal 100 percent of the time.
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October 15, 2011

Natick Real Estate Broker Fined $40k Over Asbestos Violations

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Maybe it’s just us Boston mesothelioma lawyers, but it seems like there have been many more instances of asbestos-related violations lately.

It could be that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is finally getting serious about asbestos exposure, or maybe construction and real estate officials have become lax in their treatment of this potentially fatal mineral.

Exposure to asbestos in Boston can be life-threatening if it turns into a diagnosis of mesothelioma, a rare and incurable form of cancer. Many schools have been in the news recently because they are finally cleaning up asbestos that has been in their gymnasiums, walls, piping and boiler rooms for decades.

Asbestos was used for most of the 20th Century in buildings throughout the country. New England buildings are old and historic and there’s no doubt that many schools, museums and factories were built with asbestos.

In Natick, a real estate broker has been fined $41,235 by the state’s DEP because he didn’t correctly remove asbestos. The broker has said he wasn’t the one who removed the asbestos, but rather was told to do so by a subcontractor.

In February 2009, the broker hired a contractor who didn’t have an asbestos license to remove asbestos insulation from a house in Worcester, according to the allegations. When the house was inspected by state officials along with the storage facility in Upton where the asbestos had been taken, they found the material hadn’t been removed, transported, labeled or packaged according to state regulations, the agency said.

The broker was then forced to hire a licensed asbestos contractor to remove the asbestos and make sure the home’s basement and the storage unit were no longer contaminated with the asbestos. He was fined $35,100 plus another $6,135 penalty that will be withheld as long as the broker doesn’t have any more violations in the next two years, the newspaper reports.

In lieu of a fine, the broker offered to put together an educational program for brokers who, like him, may not have been aware of the liability in such cases. That offer was rejected, he said.

I think all Massachusetts residents can appreciate that the state is going to great lengths to make sure our buildings — both old and newly renovated — are free from asbestos. By now, we all know that asbestos is highly dangerous and can lead to certain death upon diagnosis of mesothelioma.

While asbestos has never been officially banned in the United States, its dangers are well known. There is no excuse for this dangerous material to be used in our buildings so that people are put at risk. And while contractors are busy working quickly to maximize profits, they cannot overlook the dangers of renovation of an older building.

There’s no reason that buildings should still contain this very old and very dangerous natural mineral. It should not only be replaced with a safer alternative, but disposed of so no one else can be exposed and injured by it. Both construction professionals as well as real estate officials must listen up and take this seriously.
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October 12, 2011

$322 Million Asbestos Verdict May Be in Jeopardy Because of Judge

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A Mississippi judge is in hot water after the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that he shouldn’t have presided over an asbestos trial where the victim was awarded $322 million, the largest single-plaintiff asbestos award ever, Thomson Reuters reports.

The judge had a conflict of interest that should have prevented him from hearing the trial against Union Carbide Corp. earlier this year. Now it’s likely the huge jury award will vanish and a new trial be scheduled.

It’s been well documented that exposure to asbestos in Massachusetts can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma. And as our Boston mesothelioma lawyers have said time and time again on this blog, a mesothelioma diagnosis typically means a person lives another 12 months, on average.

While this is a slow-moving illness — it can take years or decades before a person who is affected spots the cancer– it moves quickly to death once a person does get diagnosed. Typical symptoms include heavy coughing, fluid build-up and chest pain. These can all be symptoms of old age, which is often why it goes undiagnosed for so long.

Many workers in old mines, factories and buildings were exposed to asbestos 30 and 40 years ago when their companies knew the dangers and did nothing to stop it. The problems with asbestos began being uncovered as early as the 1960s and 1970s, when people began falling ill.

As researchers found, once asbestos got into a person’s body, it attacks the lining of major organs. Tumors form and the cancer spreads, leaving the person unable to fend off its progress.

Many victims didn’t know that their job entailed putting their lives at risk. When companies didn’t tell their employees that their products contained asbestos or that they knew there were risks to working with it, that is unlawful.

Many buildings contained asbestos as an insulator, helpful in its fire resistant properties and cost. Piping, floor and ceiling tiles, brake pads and other commonly used products contained asbestos until recent decades. It has never been officially banned in the United States.

Union Carbide is a chemical production company that has been around since the early 1900s. Their products range from household uses to automotive, oil and textile uses.

In a lawsuit out of Mississippi, they were on the hook for $322 million after plaintiff Thomas Brown sued and won. He was allegedly exposed to asbestos after Union Carbide sold asbestos to Montello Inc. to use in drilling. In April, the jury agreed and awarded the large verdict.

But in an appeal, the company argued that the judge shouldn’t have been on the trial at all. His father was a plaintiff in an asbestos case against Union Carbide and he had made rulings that could end up benefiting his father’s pending claims.

During the trial, the company said, he made biased remarks against the company and its co-defendant, Chevron Phillips Chemical.

The state’s high court agreed and ordered the judge to recuse himself from the trial, noting its doubts that the judge could be impartial. Union Carbide now expects the verdict to be thrown out and a new trial held.
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October 10, 2011

Asbestos, Other Minerals May Be To Blame for Mesothelioma in New England

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A recent article published on MSNBC.com highlights the mineral erionite, which, like asbestos, is being blamed as a cause of mesothelioma in New England and beyond.

The article looks at an area of Turkey where a majority of the deaths are being blamed on mesothelioma, a rare and incurable cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs and heart. Sadly, this isn’t just a problem that people of Turkey have. It happens right here in Boston and throughout New England.

Our Boston mesothelioma lawyers are dedicated to representing victims who were exposed to asbestos or erionite who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Many military veterans have had their lives cut short because of exposure that led to the cancer. But even school-age children are put at risk because of old schools that contain asbestos and haven’t had it removed. In most cases, construction workers or those who worked directly with the material are most at risk.

According to the article, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Department of Transportation and the U.S. Forest Service found that all Western states, including North Dakota and South Dakota, have deposits of erionite.

It is a natural mineral that because of its makeup is easy to use in building homes. So, many villages in Turkey are now called “cancer villages” because 40 to 50 percent of all deaths were due to mesothelioma. Animal studies showed that erionite is 100 to 800 times more dangerous than asbestos.

The article goes on to say that erionite got some attention in the United States in the 1980s, but that tapered off when researchers went on to other projects. While erionite is a word most Americans have never heard, it is unregulated and may be the new asbestos.

With roads, pipelines, power lines and wind and solar farms out west, it’s possible that residents are at risk without even knowing it. The article sites situations like in North Dakota, where hundreds of miles had been covered with erionite-tainted gravel.

This could be developing into a similar situation to that of Libby, Montana, where thousands of people have fallen ill and hundreds have died because a plant there was the main exporter of asbestos for the United States from 1920 to 1990.

Residents weren’t made aware of the dangers until many were already diagnosed and close to death. While no reports of illness have been reported in North Dakota, that may not be much of an indicator, since mesothelioma can take decades to show symptoms.

As the Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog reported in July, University of Hawaii researchers are studying regions of Turkey that have been hit hard with mesothelioma due to exposure to erionite in an effort to better understand the mineral and its effects.

It may not be long before researchers are looking at how the United States ignored this dangerous mineral and allowed its citizens to be exposed without regulation for so long, knowing it was hazardous.
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